As far back as I can remember, my dad has been known amongst all of our family and friends for his famous specialty: chocolate chip cookies.

As kids, my sister and I delighted in licking the beaters.  As teenagers, we always begged him to make a batch when friends came over.  As college students, we loved receiving fun care packages in the mail with a plateful inside.  And now as adults living hours away, my sister and I find ourselves making our own batches to pass on the deliciousness.  :-)

These cookies pretty much rock.  They’re chewy, full of flavor (lots of vanilla), and overflowing with classic semisweet chocolate chips.  The original recipe called for a mixture of butter and shortening (2/3 cup of each – which resulted in an even more fabulously chewy cookie!), but we modified a few years ago to pass on the trans-fats and now it’s all buttah.

Still, these are my favorite chocolate chip cookie.  Love them fresh out of the oven, packed away for lunch, or even frozen!  (Yes, learned that one from my grandma, who always kept a freezer in her basement packed with “chip chocolates” — they’re actually really good!)

So if you’re looking for a solid CCC recipe, give this a try!  Be sure to read the tip below too.  Enjoy!!

Dad’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
(From…yep…my dad!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (mini, regular, or chocolate chunks!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Ali’s Tip:

To avoid having flat cookies (with this or other recipes), be sure that the dough you pop in the oven is pretty chilled.  So when you’re mixing these up initially, I’d recommend letting the prepared dough sit in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes before baking your first batch.

Chocolate…  Oatmeal…  Peanut butter…  (A little more butter…)  And no oven required.

Seriously, what’s not to love?!?

Ha…ok, I know these cookies won’t win any low-cal awards.  But when the cookie craving hits, and especially when I’m short on time, these classic no-bakes have long been a favorite treat.  They are uber-easy to whip up, and never fail to please a crowd.  I’ve included some ideas for extra add-ins below, but otherwise, I’m a big fan of the traditional recipe that’s been passed around for years.

Enjoy!!

No Bake Cookies Recipe
(From my Mom)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups quick oats

Method:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Then add milk, sugar, and cocoa and stir to combine while bringing to a boil.  Boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove pan from heat.  Stir in vanilla and peanut butter, until melted.  Stir in oats.

Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool until hardened.

Ali’s Tip:

Once you stir in the oats, the cookies go from gooey to set up pretty quickly.  So I’d recommend prepping your wax paper beforehand (or while your butter is melting!).

Also, some other fun mix-ins (while you stir in the oats) might be:

• shredded coconut
• peanuts
• chopped almonds or walnuts

For some reason, my neighborhood grocery store decided to place their Easter candy aisle this year smack in the middle of….the produce section.

Surprising?  Yes.  Brilliant marketing?  I’m beginning to think so.  :)

Needless to say, somehow I came home with an assortment of gorgeous little fruity and chocolate eggs.  But rather than just sit in a candy bowl (where they’re certain to disappear instantly at our house), I decided to get a tiny bit crafty and whip up some of my favorite no-bake cookies to go with them.

Commonly known as “haystacks” (in the fall) or “birds’ nests” (in the spring), these little cookies have been a favorite ever since I was a kid.  With just four ingredients (or five if you count the chocolate), they’re guaranteed to be super easy, super sweet, and SUPER delicious!  They’re a great project as well for kids, since they don’t need to go in the oven, and they’re fun to mix up.

But just know — if you love butterscotch, it’s nearly impossible to have just one!  :)

Butterscotch Birds’ Nests (or “Haystacks”) Recipe
(From my Mom)

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz.) bag butterscotch chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 oz. chow mein noodles
• candy eggs, for decor (optional)

Method:

Line a cookie sheet (or two) with waxed paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, carefully heat the chocolate chips until they are melted.  (I generally microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  And then continue heating/stirring in 10-20 second intervals until the chips are melted.  Be careful that they do not burn!)

Then stir in the peanut butter, and mix until it is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the chow mein noodles and marshmallows and continue stirring until everything is evenly coated.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the waxed paper.  Let cool until they are hardened.

**If you are wanting to make the birds nests, carefully press down the center of the cookies as soon as you drop them onto the wax paper.  And then gently lay your candy eggs in the center.  Let cool until they are hardened.**

Ali’s Tip:

Feel free to add in any nuts and/or coconut to these cookies too.  They also taste great made with melted white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips as well!

I kind of have an obsession with limes.  Love them in my food.  Love them in my water (yes – some like lemons, I like limes).  And now…love them in my cookies!!

Holy cow.  Was introduced to these cookies by a friend’s mom a few months ago, and immediately went home to try and research a similar recipe.  But unfortunately…nada.

So when we crossed paths again this week, I was stoked to come home with a copy of the recipe!  Made them the next day, and fell in love once again.  They are such a delight!!!  Light.  Buttery.  Coconut-y.  And lime-a-licious.  :)

Look out.  These ones definitely are addictive!

Coconut-Lime Shortbread Cookies
(From a friend)

Ingredients:

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lime peel
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Lime Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. lime peel
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. water

Method:

To Make Cookies:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a food processor, combine coconut, sugar, 2 tablespoons lime peel, and the vanilla.  Cover and process until coconut is finely chopped.  Add flour; cover and process for one or two pulses until combined.  Add butter; cover and process until mixture starts to cling.  Transfer to a very large bowl (dough will appear dry).  Knead dough until smooth.  Shape dough into a ball; divide in half.  (***See tip below if too dry.***)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to about 1/4″ thickness.  Using desired 1.5″ to 2″ cookie cutters, cut out dough.  Place cutouts 1″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or just until bottoms start to brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.  Repeat with the remaining dough portion.  If desired spread tops of cookies with the lime glaze and sprinkle with additional lime peel.

To Make Lime Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lime peel, and lime juice until combined.  Add in the two or three tablespoons of water, and whisk until it reaches a good consistency for spreading.

Ali’s Tip:

The dough for these should be pretty dry, but still wet enough to hold together when rolled out.  If yours is by chance a little too dry, add in a half teaspoon or so of water or…even better…lime juice!

I have to confess…

As much as I love making homemade cookies entirely from scratch (which is what I do about 95% of the time), on occasion I still seriously enjoy a good cake-mix cookie.  I know…judge away…  :)  But hey – they’re simple, wonderfully fluffy, and can be mixed up in just three minutes.  Definitely a nice back-up dessert, especially when you’re short on time!

One of my favorites, that is also most requested from friends, are these simple lemon cookies.  They’re made with a basic cake mix recipe, but kicked up a notch with some fresh lemon juice and peel – yum.  Feel free to roll them in sugar, glaze them (as explained in the tip below), or just cook and eat them plain.  I guarantee they won’t last long.  :)

Easy Lemon Cookies Recipe
(Adapted from AllRecipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 oz) package lemon cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• juice of half a lemon (about 1 Tbsp.)
• zest of half a lemon (about 1 tsp.)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar for decor (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, lemon juice and zest until well blended. Form dough into small balls (about 1 Tbsp.), and drop into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar. Roll them around until they’re lightly covered. Once sugared, place on a lightly-greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.

**To get a rounder, fluffier cookie, let the dough refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  (You can also prepare the sugared balls of dough on the cookie sheet, and just refrigerate the sheet for about ten minutes for a similar effect.)

Ali’s Tip:

For a fun variation, I’ve also drizzled these with a lemon glaze (instead of rolling in the powdered sugar).  Just whisk together about 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (or water) with 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and then drizzle it over the cookies after they have come out of the oven.  Let sit for an hour or so for the glaze to firm up.

I’ve been on a quest these last few years to find my absolute favorite go-to recipes for some classic cookies.  And while I was successful pretty quickly with many others, the perfect chocolate chocolate chip cookie (or “double chocolate”) seemed to elude me.  The closest recipe I’d actually found used a chocolate cake mix, but I was wanting something truly homemade.  AND, I didn’t want to melt chocolate.  (Still, in my opinion, too much work for a cookie.)  And, I wanted something chewy.  And of course, super chocolate-y.  :)

As you might guess since I’m posting, I’m pleased to announce…success!!!

Behold…my new favorite chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Found it (of all places) at AllRecipes.  Fabulous flavor, nice chewy texture, and uses nice, convenient, takes-2-seconds-to-scoop-out cocoa powder.  My kind of cookie.  :)

Bookmark it.  Try it.  Love it.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
(Adapted from AllRecipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or dark chocolate cocoa powder)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Ali’s Tip:

This recipe is a fantastic base for substituting in other chips as well!  Some of my favorites include:

• dark chocolate chips
• white chocolate chips
• Heath toffee chips
• Andes mint chips
• white chocolate chips
• peanut butter chips
• butterscotch chips

Dear Sugar Cookie,

You’re my favorite.

I know I talk about favorites a lot, but in the world of cookies, you reign supreme. Even just this month, I was at a friend’s holiday cookie party, for which she’d baked over a dozen batches of a-ma-zing cookies to share. And amongst all of the deliciousness, do you know which cookie was my first and favorite to enjoy? Indeed. In the words of Rachel from the finale of Friends….”it’s always been you”. :)

Perfect recipes to highlight your classic good-looks and taste can be hard to find — especially recipes for delicious dough that still holds its special cookie-cutter shape when baking. But I believe this one is a keeper. It was featured at my Christmas party this week, when good friends turned you into all sorts of normal, beautiful holiday shapes….such as hula dancers (front and back) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (holding pizzas).

Yes, you’ve always had the knack for inspiring the best creativity, smiles and good times. :)

So thanks for the memories. Thanks for the smiles. And thanks for continuing to be my favorite.

Yours forever,
~A

Sugar Cookies Recipe
(Adapted from Gina DePalma)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tsp. canola or other flavorless oil
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Method:

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt together and set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and use the paddle attachment on medium-speed to cream them together until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, followed by the oil, vanilla and lemon zest, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

On low speed, slowly beat in the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium and beat the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Shape the dough into a large disc and wrap it in a sheet of plastic; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator to slightly soften it while you preheat the oven to 350°F, positioning the racks in the center of the oven. Spray two cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans lightly with non-stick cooking spray (and/or line them with parchment paper).

Divide the dough into three pieces; work with one piece at a time, keeping the other pieces chilled or in a cool part of the kitchen. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough 1/8th of an inch thick, taking care to make sure the dough doesn’t stick to the board and remains cool to the touch. Use your favorite cutters to stamp out the cookies into desired shapes and transfer them to the baking sheets, 1/2″ apart.

Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes, or until they just turning golden at the edges. (If concerned about the cookies being evenly browned, rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time.)

Allow the cookies to cool for one minute on the sheet, and then slide them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat as necessary with the remaining pieces of dough. Store the cookies up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Ali’s Tip:

A fun trick for storing the dough is to place the ball in a large ziplock bag (unzipped). And then use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat inside of the bag until it has nearly filled it up. Then zip it, and voila — you have dough already on the way to being rolled out flat, and it’s well-sealed without extra air in the ziplock bag!

I was once a proud Girl Scout.  For…um…two weeks.

Yes, it’s quite the tragedy.  I was super-excited.  Had my little Brownie outfit.  Went to the first two meetings.  Picked up my cheese and sausage order forms and skipped around the neighborhood using my best sales and persuasion strategies (grew up with a dad in marketing) to sell as much merch as possible.  But then…a sad day arrived.  :(  For reasons still unknown to me, our troop leaders spontaneously backed out and apparently couldn’t find replacements.  So this poor little Brownie was left to make another loop around the neighborhood, apologizing and informing everyone that the delicious cheese and sausage would no longer be arriving.

Aw, I feel sad for little 7-year-old me just writing this!  Ha…thankfully, I think I turned out ok.  :) And managed to grow up still loving Girl Scout merch — especially cookies!!!

So for my next Christmas cookie (although they’re obviously fantastic year-round), I present to you my take on “tagalongs”.  Or as I used to know them…”peanut butter patties”.  Oh my goodness – I love these little guys.  And especially love the idea of using white instead of dark, milk or semisweet chocolate.  (Although you could easily substitute any of those!)  For me, the flavors are just perfectly complimentary.

So grab these three (yes, just three!) ingredients, and have fun making these fun no-bake cookies!

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Sandwich Cookies
(Original recipe)

Ingredients:

• Ritz crackers (or other favorite buttery crackers)
• vanilla almond bark or white-chocolate chips
• peanut butter
• Optional: sprinkles for decorating

Method:

Begin making the “sandwiches” by spreading a small dab of peanut butter atop the flat side of a cracker, and then attaching the flat side of another cracker on top.  Repeat with the remainder of the crackers and peanut butter.

Then melt your vanilla almond bark (or white chocolate chips) in the microwave or a double boiler.  If the chocolate is too thick, feel free to add in a few teaspoons of shortening to thin it out.

Then carefully drop each “sandwich” in the chocolate and submerge so that it’s fully-coated.  Remove with a fork and set on wax paper, parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a Silpat to dry.  Feel free to decorate with sprinkles or drizzle with extra chocolate for decor!  (I used clear sugar sprinkles above.)

***Ingredient amounts will vary, depending on how thick you like the outer chocolate coating, and how much peanut butter you like.  But note that if you use an entire box of Ritz, you’ll likely need at least 1.5 packages of almond bark.  Otherwise, feel free to use less crackers if you’d like to use just one package.***

Ali’s Tip:

For some extra fun, feel free to add a dab of your favorite jelly on the inside of the sandwiches to give an extra fruity flare and turn these into “chocolate-covered PBJ’s”!

To kick off the Christmas baking season on the blog, allow me to introduce you to….my favorite biscotti.  EVER.

That’s right – no exaggeration here.  :D  In my opinion, and in the enthusiastic reactions of friends and family, this stuff is truly in a league of its own!

First of all, who can go wrong with the cherries+almonds+white+chocolate combo??  The flavors and textures perfectly complement one another, and are enhanced even moreso by the delicious almond extract mixed into the dough.  Yum.

Secondly, since I seem to be on a kick this week with recipes that are often made with unnecessary fats, I’m happy to point out that this recipe only calls for 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Once more, it just amazes me how many people throw 1 or 2 sticks of butter into biscotti recipes!  Completely unnecessary, and these still taste great.  (Of course, I completely negate this by drizzling white chocolate all over them, but I’ll vote for extra chocolate calories any day over butter!  ;))

And finally, the texture is exactly what I love in biscotti.  It seems that so much of the biscotti I’ve tried over the years is either rock hard, or super-soft and chewy like scones.  This recipe thankfully strikes the perfect balance — crunchy and crisp on the outsides, but still soft and slightly chewy on the inside.  Perfect for enjoying on its own, or dipping in some coffee or hot cocoa.

So if you’re looking for some fun baked goods to give as gifts to friends and family this year, or if you’re just looking to cozy up with some deliciousness, I cannot recommend this recipe enough!  Oh.  So.  Good.  :)

Cherry, Almond & White Chocolate Biscotti
(Adapted from MyRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup dried berries (cherries or cranberries)
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• white chocolate baking squares or chips (optional)

Method:

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  Set aside.

Mix eggs, oil, and extracts in a bowl with an electric mixer.  Then add in dry ingredients and mix together until combined.  Then add in berries, chocolate and almonds – and either mix by hand with a wooden spoon, or very briefly with the electric mixer.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface.  Knead lightly a few times to be sure that berries, chocolate and almonds are well-distributed.  (Dough will be sticky, so you may need to lightly re-flouring your surface once or twice.)  Divide dough in half.

Shape each half into long logs, and flatten to 1″ thickness.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Remove rolls from baking sheet and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Then cut each roll diagonally into 1/2″ slices.

Place the slices cut-sides down on a baking sheet.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove, and turn each slice over, and bake for another 10 minutes.  Remove and cool on wire racks.

To add white chocolate, simply melt your desired amount in a double boiler or (carefully!) in the microwave.  Use a fork to drizzle it over the biscotti slices.  Or you can dip each slice in a bowl of the melted white chocolate.

Ali’s Tip:

I often use this recipe as a base for making many other different flavors of biscotti.  So feel free to experiment around with it — subbing out the cherries, white chocolate, and almonds for whatever deliciousness you have on hand!

Fall is in the air!!  I know that I’ve been desperately clinging to the last bits of summer these past few weeks, but I’ve finally turned the corner.  And am now endlessly delighting in all of the beauty and change that is autumn.  For so many reasons (although I need to catch some zzzz’s, so those will be forthcoming), this season just deeply warms my heart.

So to celebrate, thought it would be fun to kick off the season with an “Ode to Pumpkin Week” – hooray!!  Yes, besides being a lovely fall decoration and monopolizer of gardens, this gourd-like fruit (true!) makes frequent appearances in my kitchen each fall.  Love it!  And while I’ve long been a fan of classic pumpkin pie, I’m convinced that it has stolen the pumpkin-spotlight for far too long.  So this week, will be highlighting a few of my other favorite recipes.

To begin, I recommend to you one of my favorite cookies.  I think I can safely say that, of any recipe I’ve ever made, these hands-down win the prize for “most quickly gobbled up at a party”.  It’s true — people go nuts over these cookies!  The delicious pumpkin and spices balance each other out well.  And the fun cake-like texture (which reminds me more of muffin tops than cookies) provide a different twist.  But the best part is undoubtedly the cream cheese icing on top.  :)  I know it makes everything better, but it makes these little guys divine.

So go pick up a can of Libby’s (this is one canned food not to go generic on), and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!  :)

Ali’s Tip:

While I l-o-v-e making homemade cream cheese frosting, I’ve been known to occasionally pull out a tub of store-bought goodness to use on these.  If it’s too thick to use in a pastry bag (or Ziplock equivalent – see above), just pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, and it will magically be drizzle-able!  :)